Skywarp: Useful?
by Crazy-Brave-Girl
Summary: Skywarp discovers he has an unusual power.  His brother and sister clone try to manipulate him into helping them, but he's too scared to use it and just wants to be left alone.  And neither will that little voice in his processor that sounds like...
1. This Can't Be Good

**Auther's comment: This is my first TFA story I've done, and I'm new here, so please go easy on me.**

**And this chapter's a bit short. Heh.**

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"Please be careful! I dent easily. " Said the scared and shaking black and purple seeker trapped in stasis cuffs.

"Quit your whining. You wouldn't even be in these stasis cuffs if you were anywhere as clever as me. " answered the boasting blue jet.

"But, you got stuck in a cement blob before, didn't you?"

"All part of my brilliant plan to capture that Autobot." "Why did you want the Autobot? He could have hurt us!"

"That's none of your business!" Thundercracker was tempted to knock some sense into Skywarp's processor, but decided against it for some reason.

"Now hold still, I'm going to blast these stasis cuffs. That will be much faster then trying to hack them."

"Please, no!" Skywarp shouted. "You might blast me!" Before Skywarp could protest anymore, TC blasted the stasis cuffs off of him.

"There, now you're free. Thanks to me and my superior intellect and firepower. Come, we must head back to that pathetic organic planet that isn't even worthy of my presence."

TC transformed into his jet mode and headed into some random direction (he has no idea where to go). Skywarp hesitantly transformed and headed behind him. "What if we get lost? We might never be able to make it there. We might be lost forever!"

"Please, I will guide us there without a problem" Skywarp whimpered, as yet another thought entered his processor.

"But-but-but Megatron might get us if he finds us on Earth!"

"Hah! Megatron is no match for me! I'll easily defeat him." Skywarp still didn't feel better. In fact, it made him even more scared thinking about Megatron, and what he might to do him.

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After solar cycles of traveling across space, Skywarp and Thundercracker finally made it to Earth. Well, Earth's moon anyway.

As they headed straight for a giant ship wreck, they transformed into their robot modes upon landing. TC immediately waltzed straight for the tear in the hull that acted as the doorway, while Skywarp stayed directly behind him, afraid that something might suddenly jump out and attack him. The ship alone in its size and all of its spikes and symbols scared him as it was. Being paranoid that something from way up there might fall on him didn't help.

Just as they made it to the entrance, Slipstream (the only Starscream clone that's a femme) came out of a corner, forcing TC to come to a sudden halt and Skywarp to abruptly hit him. Skywarp let out a small whimper as he looked to the side of TC to see what made him stop.

"Please don't do that, I dent easily."

"Of course you do coward." said the femme in a harsh tone.

"Now I don't know about you, but last I checked, you two got sucked into a space bridge with an Autobot in a cement blob." TC glared at her. Why couldn't anybody let that go?

"How did you find your way back here?"

"Thanks to my superior navigation skills of course." TC pointed at himself and smirked, trying to look like a supreme leader. (He likes to say 'superior' a lot, doesn't he?)

"W-where is everyone?"

"The other clones got caught by the Elite guard"

"And that second best that is no where as good as me?"

"His head fell off and fell into the space bridge."

"Wha-wha-what about Megatron?" Slipstream was starting to get very annoyed with Skywarp. And he hadn't been here that long. She was starting to wonder if Starscream was ever that way, all cowardly and afraid of every single little thing. She came up with a quick idea to get him to leave her alone for a bit.

"He's...Right behind you!" She pointed to behind both of the clones as Skywarp screamed and TC turned around with his null-ray cannons armed, ready to be blasted at the leader of the 'cons that wasn't even there.

Skywarp didn't even bother to turn around. He just offlined his optics tried to shield himself by putting his arms over his head. A nanoclick later, he was enveloped in a blue sphere. Then it and Skywarp just Disappeared. Both TC and Slipstream were stunned.

"Okay. What just happened?" asked TC.

"I thought you would know, egomaniac." TC just turned his head to her and glared at her again.

The blue sphere reappeared far outside of the ship, a direct beeline from where Skywarp previously was. Still holding his arms in a useless effort to shield himself, he hardly noticed what had just happened. At least until he onlined his optics again and saw that he was inside of the sphere.

"Ah! Get me out of here! Please!"

TC and Slipstream merely looked at him confounded as they were trying to figure out what was going on.

Seconds later, the sphere disappeared into nothingness.

Skywarp clasped his servos together while turning his head left and right, worried to see if there was anything else that might hurt him. He was doing it so quick it looked like it might give him a processor-ache.

"Hmm." Thought Slipstream.

"I think he just transwarped!"

"My brilliant processor has deduced that Skywarp might have just transwarped!" cried Tc, pointing his finger up like a light-bulb lit up. Slipstream crossed her arms trying to ignore what TC just did. Then, she had an idea.

"Believe it or not, but I think he's actually useful! And I now just what to do with him and that uh, transwarp power he has."

"He doesn't even deserve those powers. I should have those transwarp powers! I am more worthy of such things!"

Slipstream held her audio receptors trying to ignore Tc's rant..


	2. Are You Kidding Me?

**Auther's note: I had forgotten to mention in the last chapter (as I was a chicken at the time) this and a few others were originally short stories. Something spurred me into trying to make this into a longer one, but I'm glad some people are enjoying this, even though I just had one chapter up for a bit. Thank you and especially to TheRavenFeatheredPen and 9aza, who are my first reviewers on this site.**

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Far outside the ship, Skywarp looked onward to the organic planet, Earth. So many icky, gross things. But he was on it's moon, so he didn't really care.

Out of all the Cybertronians of the universe, why did it have to be him? Why did he have to be the one with those...what did Slipstream say? Oh yeah. Transwarp powers. Once TC and Slipstream had miraculously got him to calm down, they told him what they thought had happened. Though, he could have done without the yelling part from TC. TC had yelled directly in his right audio receptor. It had been making a buzzing sound for a few nanoclicks afterward, but it eventually stopped.

Just looking at the blue planet from afar had made him feel calmer, serene even. He felt a small smile creep on his faceplate. Skywarp couldn't remember the last time he had ever smiled. He wasn't sure he had smiled at all since he came online. There was nothing that could ruin this moment for him.

"Oh, dear brother." Except that.

Skywarp's smile instantly disappeared, turning into an annoyed frown. He was tempted to slouch his shoulders and tell TC to go away so he could enjoy looking at the planet again, but he was afraid that he might yell in his audio receptors again. Or worse. He turned around, turning his expression into a scared one.

"So," TC said, scratching the back of his helm. "what are you doing?" He gestured his servo towards Skywarp as he asked.

"L-looking at the organic planet."

"Ah. Are you planning on how to destroy those pathetic Autobots?"

"N-n-no. I'm just...looking."

TC pondered this for a moment. "Why? That's boring. You could be making better use of your time."

"Well..."

"Like using your 'warping powers to help me and Slipstream – mostly me – in taking down the Autobots and free our fellow siblings."

Skywarp's optics widened. Was he crazy? Take down the Autobots? Use his 'warping power that he didn't even know how to control? There were so many things that could go wrong! Did he mention he was crazy?

"Wait," Skywarp said, "I thought Slipstream said they were captured by the Elite Guard."

"They are, but they haven't left the planet yet. There's still a chance to get them out. Once we do, I'll be the leader of us all. Not that I'm not already."

"No."

TC raised an optic ridge. "Hah, that's funny. I thought I heard you say no to me."

_Uh oh, I'm in trouble._ Skywarp placed one step backward, preparing to runaway any click.

"I-I-I..." Skywarp couldn't get anything else out. He was too afraid of what TC was going to do.

"You did say no to me, didn't you?" TC stepped forward to Skywarp. Each time he did, Skywarp took more steps backward. They kept this up while TC said, "Why you little ungrateful..." Skywarp was getting extremely uneasy about was going to happen as they both picked up the pace. He leaned back to the point where he'd fall on his skid plate if he leaned anymore while walking backwards. "You should be honored that I would even let you come with me!" TC suddenly stopped. Skywarp went a few more steps back before stopping to. "Heh, forgive me...little...brother." Okay, now he was confused. _TC...apologizing, to me?_ It sounded like he had trouble saying it though. "I should not have...pushed you like that." Skywarp would have thought TC had rehearsed apologizing if he wasn't having such a hard time finding the words.

"Um...I, uh...accept your...apology?"

TC turned around and headed back to the ship, grumbling along the way. Skywarp could hear some of it.

"...need...plan...cowardly...Autobots...Slipstream..."

He had no clue what any of that meant.

TC walked inside the abandoned ship and headed directly for the computer room. Inside, there were other Starscream clones lined up on the sides that had never been onlined. Some were blown to pieces, while few remained intact. Slipstream waited on the berth for TC to say something.

"What? There was nothing I could do, other than listen to you and apologize."

"Maybe if you hadn't let your massive ego get in the way, you would've had a chance to convince him!" Slipstream said in a sharp tone.

"He's too much of a coward. And stop bringing up my ego! It is not massive. Though it is compared to yours." TC realized he just confirmed what Slipstream had said. He shook his head before he continued on. "Ahem! I say we remove whatever is making his powers possible and let me have it."

"That's cold, even for you."

TC was shocked. He hadn't meant for it to come across as cold. Sure, it was mean. But cold? Why was cold again?

"If we remove the device that gives his 'warping powers, he could go offline without it. We don't even know where it is."

"Fine. I hate to admit it, but we still need him. There isn't much time before they leave the planet."

"He just discovered his powers. Maybe all he needs is to learn how to use them."

Slipstream left the computer room, comming Skywarp on her way out.

"Skywarp,"

_Oh no, not her too._

"come to my location. Its time you had some basic training in using those powers of yours."

Skywarp had been flying in robot mode around the moon's orbit since TC had went in the ship. When she told him that she was going to put him through training of his 'warping powers, he wanted to tell her _there's no way I'm letting you train me and then send me to fight the Autobots._ He was too afraid to say that to her though. "Okay." He weakly said.

He went back the ship. When Slipstream was outside, he landed slowly, careful not to hit the ground too fast and sprain a gear.

"Do you know anything about other Cybertronians having transwarp powers?" Skywarp asked, fearful of the answer.

"Nope."


	3. Boot Camp Is Torture

**Author's note: Can I just say thank you for the reviews on this story. Its not many, but being new on here, it means a lot to me. I'm getting sappy aren't I? Enjoy dis chapter and sorry its short.**

**Oh, and by the way, Skywarp has so far done 20 laps. Mwahahaha**

"Move it, numb node!" Slipstream shouted from afar. "You still have to 'warp twenty more times!"

"But, but, but."

"Stop talking and 'warp!"

He finally did what he was told and 'warped from beside the ship to on top of it.

"Good, you're starting to get the hang of this."

Something in Skywarp was telling him to yell at her, shoot her, anything to get her to stop! He was exahuasted. His sister was scary, and there was no way he was going to do any of that and risk getting yelled or blasted himself, but something was insisently nagging at him. It sounded like his own voice.

He kept 'warping from place to place in almost a circle, occasionally having to go on top of the ship, and asking if he was done yet.

"Are we done yet?" he asked nervously.

"No."

He warped again. "Now are we done?"

"No."

And again. "Now?"

"No."

"Now?"

"No."

"Now?"

"No."

"Now?"

"**No!** Now stop asking me and just 'warp!"

Skywarp didn't say anything else after that.

he kept this up for half a cycle until he did it all forty times. Skywarp was leaned over on his knees, slightly inching to the ship when his sister wasn't looking

"Your aim's improving. Not great, but it'll have to do. We're running out of time."

_Not great? _He thought._ Have to do? I just 'warped forty times! _

"You're excused."

Skywarp looked up to see Slipstream walking back into the ship. When she was out of sight, he stood upright and wandered around the moon, keeping in mind to stay close to the ship. He was more interested in looking at the organic planet anyway.


	4. Going Crazy

**Mama mia, I can't believe I neglected this story for this long. I feel bad for Skywarp. I mean, I am writing this of course, but I meant because this cowardly 'bot has a story. An untold story that may never get completely told if I don't get my brain in gear and start writing this and let "Mad Magic" rest for a little bit.**

**Okay, this is going to be about the little voice that was mentioned in the last chapter. We know he heard it, and that it sounded like his own voice, but is it relevant? Is it something Skywarp should be worried about? Or, as the title of this chapter says, is he starting to lose it? (And hopefully it won't turn this into an AU. I'm a little scared it might.)**

**So far, I've managed to develop the fact that he thinks like the original Starscream to an extent, but he's too scared to stand up for himself and say hardly anything that's on his mind. Especially after saying a simple no to TC. For all we know (actually you because I'm writing this story. Hehe.) that little voice could actually help him be braver, or be his undoing and drive him utterly insane. I guess you could say this chapter was inspired by an episode of a show called Farscape. (Which one I'm not telling, just in-case you've seen it too.)**

**In this chapter, we hear him having a little conversation with himself, (or his he?)**

**And woohoo! I got another chapter up in a day after "Mad Magic" got one! Sweet! Enjoy! Bwahahahaha!**

**Edit: Sorry, I had to take the chapter down for a second because I had the story copy and pasted into another document and it didn't take the italics with it.**

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Skywarp sat down cross-legged at the top of the ship. For him, it was a better view of the organic planet, and at the same time made him feel safe from his siblings. Slipstream wasn't actually that bad. She was just annoying and, as the earthlings would put it, a harpy. If there was any 'bot to be afraid of, it was Thundercracker. One would actually think that you needed to fear the original, but the fact was that Starscream wasn't here, and TC's giant ego was more than irritating. It was dangerous, proved when Skywarp had said no to him. Even Starscream kept his ego in check...somewhat. Apparently, his clones didn't have the ability to suppress whatever personality they inherited, including Skywarp. He was starting to hate the fact that he was a coward. It was almost instinct to cower whenever someone who looked the least bit mean or the slightest thing out of place that looked dangerous was around. He had all these thoughts inside about how he felt, how he felt about TC trying to come up with a plan to free their brothers. How he felt about Slipstream training him to exhaustion and say that it'll "have to do," How he felt about the entire idea of using his powers when at any given moment he could accidentally think of some other place and transwarp there instead and get eaten by some monster floating in space.

_I wish they would just leave me out of it._ thought Skywarp.

_Then why don't you do something about it._ Said his own voice in his thoughts.

Skywarp was a little startled at this, though he put it aside, being annoyed at himself for jumping at his own thought.

_As if I could. Thundercracker would blast me in a second if I told him I didn't want any part of his crazy plan. _He told himself in his mind.

_Honestly, you're a complete coward._

Skywarp simply looked at the blue planet, knowing that was well true.

_You're the only one on this 'Spark forsaken rock that has any sense. The others are lost to the Elite Guard. They're just clones anyway; completely expendable._

"Hey! I'm a clone!" Skywarp said out loud, whining. Why would he think about the other clones that way? Why would he even think that anyway when he himself was a clone?

_Yes, you are. And the other clones know that. The only reason Thundercracker didn't destroy you before when he had the chance was because he needs you for the plan. They need you for your 'warping powers. They'll only keep you online for as long as you agree to even use them, which is every time your cowardice gets the best of you._

Skywarp twitched when he heard his own thoughts saying this. _They're my brother and sister. They wouldn't do that._ he said innocently like a child defending his siblings.

_Yes they would. They are clones of a most powerful and clever Decepticon after all._

"Then why am I a coward?" He asked questioningly, drooping his head.

The voice never answered back.

Skywarp raised his head and looked back at the planet ahead, this time, not because wanted to look at it, but because his brother clones were on that Elite Guard ship down there, about to be sent to Cybertron and into the stockade. The only reason he knew that was because some basic knowledge was uploaded into his memory banks before he was brought online. Did they ever feel scared like him?

_Doubtful._ said the voice once more.

"Who asked you?" He said to the voice with narrowed optics. He leaned over some, still in his cross-legged position, and rested his head in his servo. Staring down at the edge of the crashed ship, he thought it over. Maybe if he cooperated with them and actually went with the plan TC had came up with, as much as he didn't want to, he could, possibly, get braver; get over his fear of, well, everything. Skywarp smiled slightly thinking about the situation as a confidence booster.

_Do you actually think it would be that simple? If everything was that simple, Megatron would've been offline by now._

Skywarp sighed and frowned.

_Want to know what I think you should do?_

_No._ came Skywarp's reply.

_Ditch the other clones and take down one of the Autobots. That'll give you some experience, and hopefully give you an idea of what it's like to fight._

Skywarp shot up from his relaxed position. What? Was he crazy? He, himself, Skywarp, was contemplating taking on an Autobot by himself?

_And I know the perfect one for you to take on._ Skywarp searched his memory banks until he found an image of himself holding a small, yellow Autobot by the neck in front of him. He was frozen in time, squirming to get free of his grip. It wasn't his memory. It was Starscream's. He could tell because there was a black servo instead of a purple one holding onto the Autobot. That, and he hadn't fought any Autobots since that battle with them down on Earth. He hadn't exactly been brave enough to try and even get near any 'bot. Instead, he stayed up in the air, shooting randomly at anything that looked like it was about to attack him.

_Don't remind me._ Said the voice, hearing some thoughts about his non-existent bravery.

Skywarp, now getting suspicious about his sanity, asked, _exactly, how will attacking the second most thing that I'm terrified of going to help me any?_

_What's the thing you're scared of the most?_ asked the voice with curiosity.

_M-M-Megatron._

The voice groaned irritably. _Think of it as...a learning experience. That puny Autobot couldn't hurt you if he tried. His weapons can't hurt Decepticon armor like yours. He'll be easy to defeat._

Well, when he put it that way...wait.

I thought it wasn't that simple.

_It isn't. It's not going to cure you of your cowardice, but, if you're seriously thinking about going through with Thundercracker's plan, you'll need it. You might have to fight an Autobot while you're down there_.

Skywarp was a little uneasy with the idea. He wasn't sure he wanted to go that far just to stay alive with his brother and sister, even though he was still sure they wouldn't do that to him. Though, he had to find out if he was going crazy or not. If he went down there to fight the Autobot, he would hightail it as fast as possible back to the ship as soon as he saw it. Or, either he was genuinely getting braver, or he was losing his processor, he would stay and fight. Basically, he had no choice in the matter. He wanted to know if he was insane.

Skywarp slowly got up from his position and stood up on the ship, looking at the planet in fear of all the danger it had in store for him. Even though he was going for the smallest Autobot the planet, he couldn't help but think about how hard it was to stay out of sight of everyone else.

_You'll thank me later._ said the voice one last time, sounding pleased with itself. Skywarp jumped off the ship and transformed into jet mode. Taking off into space and directly for Detroit, he couldn't help but feel himself shiver in fear at the thought of fighting an Autobot by himself. But he had to know if he was sane, and it wasn't some side effect of being a clone.


	5. To Battle, or To Flee

**Author's note: GACK! I can't believe it's been so long! I am so sorry that took so long to update this, but hopefully, since I have some time on my hands, I can start dishing out some more chapters! Hopefully I have overcome my fear of continuing writing this. Hopefully. I need to stop saying "Hopefully"!**

**And sorry for inconsistencies in writing. I've improved as I've went along writing these stories (at least I like to think so).**

**Hope you like it.**

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Chapter 5

To Battle, or to Flee

Skywarp flew in the clouds and carefully descended downwards to the city beneath. He was afraid that if he dove straight down, he wouldn't be able to pull back up and crash. From what he could tell in Earth time, it was three 'o clock p.m. It was going to be hard to avoid detection in midday, but he didn't know when his brother was going to start the plan to bust the others out. He had to go and do it now, or so the voice said. Skywarp was becoming increasingly worried about the voice. It sounded like his in tone, but as for personality…

Skywarp just didn't want to think about it all right now. He wanted to get this over with. If he could, he would hightail it right back to the moon and forget he ever came up with the idea, or the voice's idea or…whoever came up with the idea! But that voice…it just wouldn't leave him alone.

Fight that little Autobot, go back to the moon, and hope all goes well with the plan to free his brothers.

Hope…That was pretty much his plan.

He really didn't care if he managed to beat that Autobot right now or not. He really only cared if he made it out of there alive.

"_That puny little Autobot is no match for a Decepticon,"_ the voice said so low that Skywarp almost dismissed it as fast as it came. _"You just need to catch him alone. You'll have no problem with the Autobot then."_

Skywarp gulped. Easier said than done, he thought. And he wasn't too sure about the "no problem" part either.

He tried to put a plan together in his head, one like TC's where he was confident of exactly what to do and where to go. (Well, almost. They did almost get lost in space trying to find their way back to the base). Nonetheless, Skywarp was so panicked filled with just the thought of fighting – an Autobot no less – that he couldn't organize a single plan. All he came up with was firing until he got at least one hit, and fleeing back to base as fast as possible, which, once again, he couldn't do. What he was supposed to do? Fly around in jet mode until he found the Autobot?

"Why, why, why, why, why?" shouted Skywarp to himself as his panic kept building inside. Why did his brother, TC, have to be so mean? Why did his sister have to make him do all those laps? Why did his trans-warp power have to reveal itself on the same day the Elite Guard was still here? Why did he have to start going insane, or at least start acting like it with a voice talking to him? Why was he trying to make himself braver in the first place? More importantly, why was he listening to that voice in the first place? WHY?

"_Quiet!" _shouted the voice in return. Skywarp winced at the sudden interruption in his panic. _"Do you _want _everyone on this dirt planet to hear you?" _

"Well, no, but…"

"'_But,' nothing. If you're caught, then this has been for nothing."_

He hated to admit it, but the voice was right. But this was a voice; something that's just in his processer. It's not a real thing. It's just his voice; his thoughts. Was he actually going to be afraid of his own voice? It seemed so ridiculous now that he thought about it. Skywarp would have transformed back to robot mode right then to stop had it not been that he could be seen by an Autobot or a human if he did so, being that he had flown closer to the city, despite descending slowly.

"If there is one thing that I am not afraid of, it is of my own voice. I am afraid of many…many things, but I am not afraid of my own mind. What I am afraid of though, is that I've come up with a crazy plan to become braver, when I could get myself killed!" and with that, Skywarp turned himself around and started back for the sky, when the voice said gravely,

"_I am not _your _voice, in-case you haven't noticed."_

Skywarp's whole shell suddenly trembled in a wave, and he transformed back into robot mode hovering in the cloud cover. "W-what do you mean not 'my' voice?"

"_You haven't figured it out yet?" _said the voice still grave.

"F-figured what out?" Skywarp regretted asking that question as soon as he said it. Now he was concerned about his sanity again, and this time, he didn't want to find the reason he might be insane.

Any sudden bravery or courage he had when he left the moon was gone. His instinctive panic overwhelmed him; his whole being shuddered with metal clanking against metal. He held his helm in an effort to stop the clanking, but he still shook with fear. Then, he thought to himself, "_Only someone like me would over-react to something like this."_ His shuddering immediately stopped, and the fear and panic dissipated.

"_For once, you're right,"_ said the voice, "_Now how about going down there like a good Decepticon, hmm?"_ Skywarp obeyed, dismissing the feeling that something was still not right. He turned back into jet mode, descending back toward Earth.

Everything seemed to hit him right in the faceplate, but he still couldn't figure out why it seemed he was going insane, and yet…

Every time the voice spoke, it didn't feel like his thought. It was hard to describe. It…just didn't feel like his own, and it was all the more confirmed when the voice said that it was not _his_ voice.

"_Don't think too much about it right now,"_ the voice said. _"All will soon be revealed." _the voice chuckled darkly, making Skywarp even more wary…and scared.

Before he had even made it out of the clouds TC called.

"SKYWARP! WHERE THE SLAG ARE YOU?"

Skywarp, startled by TC, had to transform back into robot mode to keep from losing control of his flying, as he had become a little wobbly from being startled. _"I wouldn't turn that on if I were you."_ said the voice just as Skywarp was about to do just that.

"Did you actually think that I wouldn't notice you being gone? You better get back here right now, you coward!"

This was probably the only piece of advice he would so willingly listen to, and turned his comm. link off completely. Now he couldn't hear TC rant and yell and go on about who knows what else. He could listen to it later, not that either was preferable.

Skywarp started back again for the planet, turning back into jet mode. His feelings were so mixed right now. But he would have to sort them all out later, and figure out what was going on with his processor at the moment, at least maybe before he had to fight an Autobot.


End file.
